The present disclosure generally relates to systems, devices, and methods for performing a cardiovascular surgical procedure, and more particularly for closing a puncture wound in a human or mammalian heart.
During a cardiac valve repair or replacement procedure, access to the interior of the heart may be necessary. To access the interior of the heart, physicians often conduct a median sternotomy. In a median sternotomy, the physician makes an incision along the center of the chest to divide the patient's sternum, thereby creating an access to the heart. Sternotomies result in long recovery times and involve a high risk of complications (e.g., infections) due to the lengthy surgery required for these unstable patients.
Rather than performing the more invasive median sternotomy, a less invasive thoracotomy introducer device may be used to access the interior of the heart and to provide a conduit through which other devices may be passed during the procedure. Such a miniaturized introducer aids the physician in inserting necessary repair or replacement materials into the heart while also limiting the level of physical invasiveness and the amount of blood loss. Some less invasive introducers have been developed over the years.
Although minimally invasive surgical procedures have several advantages, including less surgical trauma as compared with more invasive procedures, they still present challenges. Complications from vascular access may arise in patients who suffer from a variety of health issues including peripheral vascular disease. Some of these complications may be dealt with by more quickly and adequately sealing the conduit that was formed to provide access to the heart during the procedure.
Various devices and methods for sealing puncture wounds have been developed including those shown and described in commonly assigned U.S. Pat. No. 7,008,439, the entire contents of which are hereby incorporated herein by reference. However, a continuing need exists for devices and methods for closing access openings formed during minimally invasive surgical procedures, including devices and methods for the closure of openings formed in the apex of a patient's heart.